Tie lifter



P. RUGGERI TIE LIFTER May 1, 1945.

Filed Oct. 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

P. RUGGERI TIE LIFTER May 1, 1945.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 061;. 9, 1941 BY Pefefi Rqgye/y' F6 Afzfys.

Patented May 1, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIE LIFTER Peter Ruggeri, Odell, Ill. Application-October 9, 1941, Serial No. 414,337

Claims.

In spiking rails to ties it is necessary that the tie be held up firmly against the rail. It is also highly desirable to hold the tie firmly against the rail when tamping ballast under the tie. Although various tie lifting devices have been pro posed heretofore, none of them have been satisfactory for ordinary use, and as a result the construction or maintenance crews have had to rely on such awkward and labor-consuming practices as having one member of the crew pry up the end other end to form a second base or'foot. Of coursainstead of the loop I3, a plate I4 could be provided at bothends, there then being two separate pipes instead of one pipe bent double. The standard is of a length so-that the two feet I3 and M will rest on first and'third tiesspaced in accordance with present-railroad practice. An

over-alllength of 41 inches has'been found satisof the tie being spiked with a crowbar or the a like while the spike was being driven. With two men usefully employed'in. driving the spikes on one end of the tie, the time of another would thus be wasted in holding up the tie.

According to the present invention, this loss of time and labor is avoided by the provision of a simple tie lifter which is capable of engaging the tie at its middle and drawing both ends tight against the rails at once while leaving all of the tie in the vicinity of the rails open and clear for the drivingof the spikes. With a four-man crew, the tie can be raised into position with the structure of this invention andthen all four men can drive the spikes-two at each end. The device is simple and light enough so that it is entirely practical to take it around with the crew.

Additional advantages and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through one form of the invention chosen for illustration. 4

Fig. 2is a plan view in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the position of the tie lifter approximately midway between the rails, and illustrating also the fact that the tie is held tightly against both rails.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the tongs taken approximately on the line 5-5 of. Fig.1.

Fig. 6 is a View corresponding to Fig. 1 but'of a modified form of the invention designed to have a low enough clearance for trains to pass over it while it remains in position.

Two forms of the invention have been chosen for illustration and description, in compliance with section 4888 of the Revised Statutes.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the standard I I includes apipe I 2 bent to the shape clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with a loop l3 forming a base or foot at one end, and

of the structure shown a plate l4 secured to the ends of the pipe at the 5 cing the factory.

Positioned on theraised or bridge-forming portion of the standard generally midway of its lengthis a casting 16. As seen best 2, the casting [6 has end portions [1, each of which straddles both legs of the :pipe 12, and connecting webs l8 integral with the end portions ll. The :casting l6 isclamped to the pipe 5 l2 by nuts [9 on bolts 20, the nuts 19 bearing against-cast blocks 2|, each of which straddles the two p0rtions of the pipe 12 as do the end portions of the castinglfi.

A pin 26 extends through the two webs l8, being held in place by any suitable manner as by cotter pins. Two plates 21 are pivotally carried by the pin 26, bearing loosely against the webs i8 and spaced apart by a lever 28 to which the two plates are preferably welded. In this manner it-is seen that the plates form adrum on which a chain 29 may be wound, as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 4, with alternate links 3| 'ex-' tending partially between the plate 21. This arrangement keeps the chain centered onthe v drum and at the same time provides relatively smooth chain actuation. The upper end of the chain is secured to the plates 21 by a pin 32 while thelower end of the chain is secured to tongs 34,

' prise a pin riveted between the two sides of the staple or a screw 4| extending through one. side and threaded into the other. One of the bifurca-[ tions 38 may be anintegral portion of the arm 39 while the other is welded thereto as seen at 42in Fig. 5.

The other tong member 43 is preferably matched as seen best at 44 in Fig 1, so as to per.- mit the .tongs'to open out until the horizontal portions of the two arms 35 and 43 are substantially in alinement. As will be noted from Fig, 1,

the opening out of the arms is also facilitated by positioning the screw 4| above the center line of arm 39. .This construction is important in over-all height of the tongs and this in turn is particularly important in connectwo plates on each arm so as to give adequate bearing area for raising the tie without danger of excessively tearing the tie.

To hold the tie up, a ratchet is provided, which is engaged by a pawl 52 carried by the lever 28.. The pawl 52 operates smoothly and freely between the lever 28 and a guide casting 53 which may be secured rigidly to the lever by a rivet or by a nut and bolt 54 passing through j a slot in the pawl 52. The pawl is spring pressed by a spring 55 bearing against a lug 56 formed on the casting 53 and projecting into a slot 51 formed in the pawl 52. The pawl 52 may be released by a handle 58 pivoted to the lever 28 and connected to the pawl 52 by a rod 59. The ratchet 5| is of course carried by the casting I6, as'by one of the webs I8. In operating the device, the handle 58 is not squeezed and as a result the lever 28 is latched in any position to which it is moved, thus holding the tie 4'! firmly against;

the rail. There is enough inherent resiliency in the parts and in the tie 41 so that the tie will be held resiliently in place and so that in spite of having fairly large teeth in the ratchet 5| it will always be easy to operate the lever 28 to a plates welded to the arms 39 and 33, preferably position where it latches and holds the tie firmly I in place. v

. As seen in Fig. 3, the standard II is generally positioned approximately midway of the rails 48 so that it. raises both endsof the tie against the. rail simultaneously. Of course, by stating that the ends are raised against the rail, there is no. intention of negativing the conventional inter vening tie plate 6|, which for the purposes of this invention may be considered as part of the This midway position of the standard II;

tie. with all parts of the device remote from the rails makes the spikes witlrwhich the rail is secured to the ties fully accessible so that there is no interference with the swinging of the hammers with which the spikes are driven.

Frequently it is desirable to move the tie longitudinally of the tie a few inches before the v spikes are driven in order to center the tie with respect to the rails. Ordinarily this involves a special operation with acrowbar or the like since the ties are too heavy to move very easily. With the present invention, however, it is merely necessary to either shift the standard II in the di-- 'rection of desired movement, a distance equal to the distance of movement, or shift the tongs 34' in the opposite direction the same distance. This is of course done before the lever 28 is actuated to cause the tongs to bite into the tie, and hence either movement is accomplished with great ease. When the lever is actuated to raise the tie off of the bed on which it was resting, its own weight will swing it to a centered position with the tongs 34 directly below the standard I l.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 6 is so devised that a train can pass over it while it is in place between the rails. To this end the standard III is made considerably lower than' the standard II, and the ratchet 5I, which in Fig. 1 extends a considerable distance above the standard II, is omitted. In its place a ratchet v I I2 may be welded to the plates H3, and a pawl I I Imay be secured to the standard as to one of the clamp blocks I2I, the pawl H4 being drawn into engagement by a spring I23 and being re leased by a treadle I24. The dimensions of the standard III, the plates H3 and the chain I29 are such that their maximum over-all height when they are resting on ties between the rails will be low enough for a train to pass over them. It is preferred that this maximum over-all height be not over 8 inches in order that the device may be used safely with a 6-inch rail. Of course, 8% or 8 inches would bethat much better, allowing for greater irregularities in the ties on which the device rests.

In order for a train to pass over thedevice, it is of course necessary that the lever I28 be in a lowered position. In order to permit the lever I28,to be kept in a lowered position even though the plates H3 are held in an actuated position by the pawl I III, a lost motion connection is provided between the lever I28 and the plates I I3.

This may conveniently be accomplished. by

mounting the lever I 28 on the pin I26 independently of the plates I I3 and providing a pin I3! extending through the plates H3 andprojecting therefrom in the path of lever I28 so that when lever I23 is moved clockwise as seen in Fig. 6, it will strike the pin 'I3I and rotate the plates H3. The lever I28 may then be returned to its lower position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, while the pawl II I holds the plates H3 in their actuated position, thus holding the tie firmly against the rail. To release the tongs from the tie, it is merely necessary to-step on treadle I24 and releasepawl H4. It Will be: understood, of course, that the webs II8 will be spaced apart a little fartherthan the webs- I 8 in order to provide room for thelever I28 and the ratchet I I2 on the pin I25, between the webs I I8. I 7

It is in connection with the over-all height of the form shown in Fig. 6 that the illustrated construction of the tongs is important. It obviously must be possible for the tie to be raised to the rail withouthaving the tongs strike any other part of the device. If the associated parts of the device are to be low in order for a train to pass over them, there is not much space between these associated parts and the raised position of the tie. By cutting out the notch 44 and by placing the pin 4| a little above the center line of arm 39, it is possible for the tongs'to open until the generally horizontal portions of arms 39 and .43 are. in alinement, so that in their starting position the tongs require only the spacing corresponding to the vertical Width of the arms 39 and 43. Of course, with a small tie, the clamping movement of the tongs will require quite a little more space than this, but it is still less than if the tongs started their clamping movement from a point considerably above the tie.

It willbe noted that in both Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 the'pin I33, by which the two portions of the tongs arepivoted together, is displaced from the center. This serves thedouble purpose of even- .ing the upward force on the two sides of the tie by keeping the chain 29 near the center of the tie and of increasing vthegripping force of the tongs 39, this force depending on the'ratio of the distance from the pin I33 to the screw II and to the points of teeth 43 on arm 39.

Another feature found in both the forms of Figs. '1 and'G'is the'special shaping of the plates g 2'! orthe eccentric mounting thereof. The advantage of this is that if thetie is spacedan unusual distance below the rail, it may be. raised quickly by the part of the .plates 21 havingalarge radius, although the smaller radius of the other portions of the plates will come into play as the tie reaches its finalppositionw A smaller radius will of course enable the operator to exert a tie firmly against the rails at both ends thereof whilespikesv areibeing driven into the tie or while ballast is being tamped under the tie. The device is of such nature that it is fairly light and may i be easil carried with the crew, and furthermore it leaves the portions of the tie in the Vicinity of the rails fully accessible for driving the spikes or for tamping. One man can easily apply enough force to the operating lever to hold the tie against the rails with all the firmness that is required, and the latch will hold the tie there while the operator joins the rest of the crew in driving the spikes, if desired.

I claim: a

1. A tie lifter including a humped standard adapted to rest at its opposite ends on ties generally midway between the two rails of a track,

tongs extending parallel to the axis of the standard and adapted to engage a third tie between said ties, raising means carried by the hump of the standard for raising said tongs and said third tie therewith to draw it firmly against both rails including a grooved drum eccentrically pivoted to exert relatively more force at the end of its actuating stroke, and latch means for holding the raising means in its actuated position, all of said apparatus being substantiall spaced from the portions of said third tie adjacent the rails whereby said portions are completely accessible for driving spikes therein.

2. A tie lifter including a humped standard adapted to rest at its opposite ends on ties generally midway between the two rails of a track,

tongs extending parallel to the axis of the standing spikes therein.

3. A tie lifter including a standard adapted to rest at its opposite ends on ties generally midway between the two rails of a track, tongs adapted to engage a third tie between said ties, raising means carried by the standard for raising said tongs and said third tie therewith to draw it firmly against both rails, and latch means for holding the raising means in its actuated position, all of said apparatus being substantially spaced from the portions of said third tie adjacent the rails whereby saidportions are completely accessible for driving spikes therein.

4.. A tie lifter including a standard adapted to rest at its opposite ends on ties generally midway between the two rails of a track, tongs drawxit firmly againstbothrails, all of 'said apparatus being substantiallyspacetl from the pertions'of said third tieadjacent the'rails whereby said portions are'completely accessible for driv ing spikes therein. 1 9 5. A tie-lifter including a :standard longerthan the .width of a'tie adapted to rest'at its opposite ends onties of a track, tongs adapted to engage a third tie which is approximately parallel with and between said ties, raising means carriedby'the standard for raising said-tongs-and'said thirdtie therewith to draw it firmlyagainstboth rails, and latch means for holdingthe raising means in its actuated position. i a

6; Tie-lifting apparatus including means for en gaging a tie adapted to lift the same, connecting means connected thereto, a standard adapted to.

be supported in a substantially fixed position with respect to the rails associated with the tie and with all parts thereof remote from the portions of the tie adjacent the rails whereby said portions will be fully accessible for driving spikes therein, and manually operable means carried by the standard for raising the tie-engaging means and the tie to draw the tie firmly against the rail including pivotally mounted drum means onto which the connecting means is wound, a

handle pivotally mounted coaxially with the drum means andarranged to rotate the drum when actuated in one direction and to be free to move independently of the drum means in the other direction, and means to retain the drum means in its actuated position.

7. Tie-lifting. apparatus including means for carried by the standard for raising the tie-engaging means and the tie to draw the tie firmly against the rail including pivotally mounted drum means onto which the connecting means is wound, said drum means being eccentrically pivoted so that a given force applied thereto will exert a greater raising force as the tie comes into engagement with the rail than when it is remote from the rail. Y

8. Tie-lifting means including tie-engaging means, a chain connected thereto; a portable standard adapted to rest on horizontal surfaces, a pair of plates supported by and pivotable with respect to the standard and spaced apart a distance appropriate for receiving one side of alternate links of the chain while the intervening links rest on the edges of the plate, and means for pivoting said plates and winding the chain thereon to raise the tie-engaging means without causing the tie to swing due to twisting of the chain.

9. Tie-lifting apparatus including means for engaging a tie adapted to lift the same, connecting means connected thereto, a standard adapted to be supported on the rail-bed and with all parts thereof remote from the portions of the tie adjacent the rails associated therewith whereby I said portions will be fully accessible for driving spikes therein, and manually operable means carried by the standard for raising the tie-engaging means and the tie 'to draw the tie firmly against the rail including pivotally mounted drum means onto which the connectingmeans is wound, a handle pivotally mounted coaxiall with the drum means and arranged to rotate the drum when actuated in one direction and to be free to move independently of the drum means in the other direction, and means to retain the drum means in its actuated position; said handle being movable to a position where it is substantially as low as the top of the drum and all parts of said apparatus being sufliciently low to permit a train to pass over said apparatus when the apparatus is resting on the rail-bed.

l0. Tie-lifting apparatus including a standard forming a bridge adapted to be disposed transversely over the intermediate portion of a tie and to be supported at opposite sides of the tie and released.

having a raised span above its ends and above the 'tie; tie-engaging meansadapted to lift a tie in a mannerto lift both ends of the tie simultaneously While the standard is disposed remotely from the portions of the tie adjacent to the rails positioned thereabove to be spiked thereto whereby said portions will be fullyaccessible for driving spikes PETER RUGGERI. 

